Solemnity of the Divine Child
9/3/2006JMJ + FC
The Church considers every Sunday as a Solemn Feast Day, particularly
in memory of the day that the Lord is risen from the dead.
Today in this Temple of God, we're celebrating the Solemnity of the
Divine Child Jesus. This is not in the Universal Calendar of the Church,
but because this House of God is dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus,
the Church provides for us the opportunity to celebrate this solemnity
as a higher priority over the usual Sunday liturgy.
If you are Magnificat readers or other missals, that's why the
prayers and the readings are taken from the Liturgy of the Presentation
for the Solemnity of the Divine Child instead of the 22nd Sunday of the
Ordinary time. Don't worry if you're concerned whether you're fulfilling
your Sunday obligation or not — your attendance and participation in
this Mass does fulfill your Sunday obligation.
I encourage you also to pray that one day, we shall have the specific
votive Mass of the Divine Child Jesus so that He shall be more honored
and more glorified; so that He shall be more served and more loved; so
that devotion to His Divine Childhood may be renewed and spread
throughout the world from this very holy place, the place which the
Divine Child Himself asked our beloved Mother to build.
"Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you."
Mother wants so much to spread this devotion to the Divine Child
because she believes it's the solution for the mess in this world. And
what a mess we have in this world! All the mess in this world exists
because we attack the very beginning stage of human life, our children!
They are our future generation. They are our future priests and
religious. They are our future husbands and wives. They are our future
saints. We attack them! It is no wonder we have such a mess in this
world!
The children are persecuted, scourged, and killed!
When couples practice contraception, they have an anti-child
attitude. They may not necessarily say it out loud to each other, but by
their very immoral actions, they're telling one another: Honey, I
don't want a child! I want a child NOT to exist! That's what they're
saying!
Dr. John Saward in his book, The Way of the Lamb, also pointed
out that "the cult of homosexuality is a practical hatred of the child."
The reason is because it is "the rejection of woman and therefore the
rejection of the fruit of the womb." The rejection of the child.
Recently in the news, we heard again about the embryonic stem cell
research. Depending where you heard it from, the secular media tells it
like a major breakthrough that the scientists possibly can obtain an
embryonic stem cell without destroying the embryo. Well, if you heard it
from a religious media, we're told that this scientist who made the news
about the "major breakthrough" has destroyed 16 embryos in the process
of trying to figure something out. And each embryo is a person already!
Again, the children are attacked, persecuted, and destroyed! And
that's why we have such a mess in this world. Many have died because of
abortions. And one of the reasons why Mother wants the monument of the
Divine Child Jesus as the centerpiece of the Piazza is so the Divine
Child can lead the women who are considering an abortion to change their
minds and hearts and to choose life!
The children are scourged because they are used as "objects" for
pornography. They're abused sexually by those who should be guarding
them, protecting them, and nourishing them materially and spiritually.
All these are not pleasant to hear and to preach! They're sick! No
wonder we have a lot of mess in our current world!
The Good News is that God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son. Even though, the world is a mess, God is still in charge!
He will always be in charge! We know and we believe that in the end, no
matter how terrible the world would be — in the end, God will triumph!
He will have the victory!
The Eternal Word became flesh for you and me. Jesus redeemed all
stages of our life from the embryonic stage all the way to the very last
stage of being elderly, approaching eternity. And that makes perfect
sense — the Son of God becomes an Embryo, a Newborn Infant, a Child who
eventually become a Man to die in order to redeem. Whatever the Son of
God assumed, He redeemed all stages of human life.
When the Divine Infant was presented in the temple, with the help of
God's light, Simeon knew that this is no ordinary infant. This is the
Infant Savior: True Human Infant & True Saving Lord and God.
I think this is what's awesome about the devotion to the Divine
Child, that we acknowledge the true humanity of Jesus in His Childhood
and in His most vulnerable, weak stage, and simplicity while at the same
time, we acknowledge the true divinity of Jesus, His true Godhead — that
even though He's a Child, He's a Divine Child who is all powerful who
can help us in any of our troubles materially or spiritually. And the
Divine Child longs to hear our requests. He really looks forward to help
us in whatever situation we need His help in....
Finally, allow me to conclude this homily by addressing to the
children here: (really for all, since we're called to become like
children so we can enter Heaven):
The Divine Child Jesus loves you. He is your Best Friend. Do pray to
Him frequently. Do your best not to hurt Him by your sins. If you hurt
Him, be quick in saying sorry to Him and He will always always, always
forgive you. You are very important in His eyes! The world may not treat
you so... but you are very important in the eyes of the Divine Child
Jesus. For some of you, He may ask you to accept His invitation to
follow Him as His future priests or as religious brothers or sisters.
Our beloved late John Paul II wrote a letter to you. He said: Jesus
is pointing to you, children, as models even for us grown-ups. He said:
unless we become like children, we will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.
He also said: In you children, there is something that must never be
missing in people who want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. People who
are destined to go to Heaven are simple like children, and like
children, they are full of trust. They are full of rich in goodness and
pure. So befriend the Divine Child Jesus the rest of your life. He shall
lead you to the Father's House.
Divine Child Jesus, raise your tiny hand and bless these young
friends of yours, bless the children of all the earth, and bless all of
us here in your beautiful Temple.
Mother Mary, bless us with your Divine Child.
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